Every Thursday I post a favorite picture or pictures from one of my favorite travel destiantions - along with some photo tips. If you have been to the location, add a tip or comment in the Comments section.

This week: Croton-on-Hudson, New York - just one of the shooting locations on my Rick's Backyard Workshop.

There are two major photo locations in Croton-on-Hudson: the New Croton Dam and the river walk.

Dam Photo Tips:
• Bring your wide-angle zoom. Also pack a tele-zoom for close ups.
• A ND filter is necessary if you want to blur the water. Use shutter speeds from 1/5 of a second to several seconds.
• Yes! Bring your tripod.
• Shoot from the top of the dam, the side of the dam, and down near the water. Be careful when you are shooting near the water. It can be slippery.
• Try painting with light at night.
• You'll need a lens cleaning cloth to wipe the spray off your lens.
• When shooting from the lower bridge, be aware of vibrations caused by moving cars. Those vibrations can cause blurry shots at slow shutter speeds.
• As always, expose for the highlights. More on exposure in my

I shot the opening and close for my Photo Philosophy video at the dam.

River Walk Photo Tips:
• Sunset is the best time to shoot, as the sun sets on the opposite side of the river.
• Include an object in the foreground to give your photograph a sense of place.
• When shooting into the sun, try HDR - but know that HDR can ruin the mood of a scene.
• Remove all filters when shooting into the sun to avoid a ghost image of the sun.

Enjoy travel photography? Check out my digital photography workshops.

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Explore the light,
Rick